Quotes on the True Meaning and Depth of Friendship

Friendship, deep and meaningful ones, can be some of the greatest and most lasting relationships we will ever have.

There are times when a lifelong friendship is the longest and most meaningful relationship that someone will ever experience. We are often far better at recognizing what it means for someone to be a good friend to us, than we do at what it means to be a good friend to another.

This is the time to consider its true meaning, and how great relationships like this work in both directions. Here are some thoughts and friendship quotes for you to ponder on.

The Best Friendship Quotes and Sayings

1.) “No friendship is an accident.” ― O. Henry, Heart of the West

2.) “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”— C.S. Lewis

3.) “Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.” — Henry David Thoreau

4.) “A good friend is like a four leaf clover; hard to find and lucky to have.” — Irish Proverb

5.) “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.”— Helen Keller

6.) “Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” ― Elie Wiesel

7.) “Sitting silently beside a friend who is hurting may be the best gift we can give.” — Unknown

8.) “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”― Muhammad Ali

9.) “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” — Amy Poehler

10.) “Dear George: Remember no man is a failure who has friends.”— It’s a Wonderful Life

11.) “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”― William Shakespeare

12.) “The great thing about new friends is that they bring new energy to your soul.” — Shanna Rodriguez

13.) “Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success.” ― Oscar Wilde

14.) “Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” — Albert Camus

15.) “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12.” — Stand by Me

16.) “You’ve got a friend in me.” — Toy Story

17.) “There is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends.” ― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

18.) “It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.” — Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

19.) “Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.” ― Aristotle

20.) “Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest, it’s about who walked in to your life, said “I’m here for you,” and PROVED it.” — Unknown

21.) “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” — Oprah Winfrey

22.) “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” — Proverbs 27:9

23.) “There’s not a word yet, for old friends who’ve just met.” ― Jim Henson, ‘I’m Going To Go Back There Someday’

24.) “Friendship is delicate as a glass, once broken it can be fixed but there will always be cracks.” — Waqar Ahmed

25.) “Be slow to fall into friendship, but when you are in, continue firm and constant.” ― Socrates

27.) “Some people go to priests. Others to poetry. I to my friends.”— Virginia Woolfe

28.) “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself — and especially to feel, or not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at any moment is fine with them. That’s what real love amounts to – letting a person be what he really is.” ― Jim Morrison

29.) “An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.” — Buddha

30.) “A strong friendship doesn’t need daily conversation or being together. As long as the relationship lives in the heart, true friends never part.”— Anonymous

Short Friendship Quotes for Inspiration

31.) “We’ll be friend ’til we’re old and senile. … Then we’ll be new friends!”— Anonymous

32.) “A friend who understands your tears is much more valuable than a lot of friends who only know your smile.”— Anonymous

Did these friendship quotes help you realize the true meaning of friendship?

Many times, we think that we are a great friend, that we give and give, and that everyone else does not measure up. But are we truly being honest about what it means to be selfless, to be there for another, to care as much about their happiness and well-being as we do our own?

More often than not, what people say to me is that they are frustrated that they are not getting in return what they are giving out. This means they are asking for something, or they have expectations of the other.

When it comes to true, deep friendships, it’s all about balance. Be a good friend, in order to have good, lasting friends.

Dr. Nikki Martinez received her Masters and her Doctorate from Illinois School of Professional Psychology, and completed her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowship at Gateway Foundation in Lake Villa, Illinois. Head of Clinical Development for www.drnikkimartinez.com/. She is an Adjunct Professor for 2 graduate programs, a Blogger for the Huffington Post, Older Dating, Success Stories, and a Contributor to the Chicago Tribune.